Multiphase Flow 2017

9th International Conference on Computational and Experimental Methods in Multiphase and Complex Flow

20 - 22 June, 2017
Tallinn, Estonia

Overview

The 9th International Conference on Computational and Experimental Methods in Multiphase and Complex Flow took place in Tallinn, Estonia, organised by the Wessex Institute and the University of New Mexico, represented respectively by Professors Carlos A Brebbia and Peter Vorobieff.

The meeting, which was very successful, as all previous conferences in the series, attracted delegates from many different countries specialised in a wide range of scientific disciplines, which reflects the complexity and importance of the subject matter.

The challenges of multiphase and complex flow problems naturally arise from their basic physics. When materials with different states or phases move together, the volume averaged bulk property of the mixtures is generally insufficient to describe its behaviour because phase interactions, phase change, chemical reactions and interfacial processes play an important role. The same applies to situations where the state or phase of materials in the flow is the same, but their physical and chemical properties differ. To provide a physically faithful description of a multiphase system, additional equations and boundary conditions must be provided to the classical Navier-Stokes equations, to account for phase interaction, moving boundaries, diffusion and other effects. It is also necessary to consider a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from those characterising the complete system to those associated, for instance, with microscopic droplets or bubbles embedded in the fluid.

The peer-reviewed papers presented at the conference cover a wide variety of topics. They are distributed throughout the world in digital as well as paper format, and an electronic version of the papers is archived in the eLibrary of the Wessex Institute (http://www.witpress.com/elibrary) where they are easily available to the international scientific community.

Opening the Conference

The meeting was opened by Professor Peter Vorobieff. Peter welcomed the delegates in his name and on behalf of Prof Carlos Brebbia, who was unable to attend the conference due to medical reasons. He spoke of the importance and history of the conference series, referred to the success of the meeting since its inception and its increasing popularity as manifested by the attendance in the present one. Peter described in general terms the advanced multiphase flow research carried out at the University of New Mexico. He highlighted the publication advantages offered by Wessex Institute and in particular its open access policy which facilitates dissemination and citation of researchers' work.

Stavros Syngellakis, a professor at WIT and a member of its Board of Directors, representing Prof Brebbia, emphasised the Wessex Institute's commitment to knowledge transfer pursued through research and development, publications and conferences. The Institute – Stavros explained – continues to carry out research in the field of computational methods from its New Forest campus. It also develops new capabilities for boundary elements, a method that has become closely associated with Wessex Institute since its beginnings. He presented an overview of past and current projects in which WIT modelling proved a powerful and effective predictive and optimisation tool.

WIT Press – Stavros said – in addition to its conference volume series, publishes advanced books in science and engineering. It has also launched several international journals, one of which – Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements – is closely associated with this conference.

Stavros also referred to the importance of the Institute's conference programme, which has become well established and aims to offer delegates ideal conditions for scientific discourse, exchange of knowledge and ideas as well as opportunities for networking and long-term associations.

Stavros ended his welcoming address by thanking the delegates for having come to the meeting and hoping that they will have time to see many of the sights of Tallinn, a city with a long history, medieval architecture, old churches, fortresses, palaces, open green spaces, museums and many other sites of interest.

Conference Topics

The papers presented at the conference covered a series of topics, ie
• Multiphase flow simulation
• Bubble and drop dynamics
• Cavitation
• Interface behaviour
• Flow in porous media
• Flow through beds
• Heat transfer
• Atomization

There were a series of invited lectures by well-known colleagues:

• “Instabilities in a shock interaction with a perturbed curtain of particles”, by Peter Vorobieff, University of New Mexico, USA.
• “Modelling of sedimentation for polydisperse mixture", by Mariusz Rzasa, Opole University of Technology, Poland.
• “Hydraulic conductivity of a suspension - an inverse problem", by Jǐrí Mls, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
• “Validation and application for semi-planing crafts", by Min Yee Jiang, NSWCCD/US Navy, USA.
• “Toroidal drops in viscous flows: formation, stationarity and stability", by Avinoam Nir, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
• "Shear force analysis of an oil-driven grinding tool", by Rodion Groll, University of Bremen, Germany.
• "Mixing-model sensitivity to input parameter variation", by Randall Truman, University of New Mexico, USA.

The conference was particularly friendly which helped to increase the interaction amongst the delegates who, in addition to coffee breaks, were offered complimentary lunches.

ISAC Dinner

The International Scientific Advisory Committee met informally for a thank-you dinner at Olde Hansa, a very traditional restaurant in the middle of Tallinn's Old Town replicating the welcoming home of a 15th century Hanseatic merchant and offering a genuinely medieval and succulent menu. Stavros conveyed to members to the Committee Prof Brebbia's appreciation and gratitude for their contribution to the success of the conference, which rested with the quality of the papers and the friendly atmosphere amongst delegates. There was a general expectation that the meeting will be reconvened in 2019 and Stavros invited views from the ISAC members on its scope and organisation that he would take for consideration to the Conference Organising Committee.

Conference Dinner

The conference banquet took place in Ribe, an elegant restaurant with dishes made with fresh, seasonal, domestic ingredients, also located within the Tallinn's historical centre. Carlos's absence was strongly felt and the dinner started with a toast to his health. The excellent dinner, consisting of three courses brilliantly matched by local wines, helped to create a convivial atmosphere among the participants.

Closing the Conference

The conference was closed by Stavros who thanked the delegates for having participated, in his name and on behalf of Carlos Brebbia. He expressed the hope that the meeting had fully met their expectations with regard to content, organisation and opportunities for interaction and that they will continue to support the work of the Wessex Institute.

Finally, Peter Vorobieff, from the University of New Mexico, addressed briefly the delegates referring to the scientific and technological importance of the conference's subject matter and thanking all contributors to its success.

Related conferences:

AFM 2018, 10 - 12 July, 2018, Ljubljana, Slovenia